Panel discussion with 5 panelists

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Panel discussion

Panelists were asked to give views and suggestions focusing on policies, institutions, capacity building needed and specific interventions and support to the private sector.

Panelists were:
  • Zenebe Asfaw
  • Kidane George
  • Tegene ??????
  • Adane Kassa
  • Mulugeta Berhanu

Chaired by:
  • Habtemariam Kassa


Highlights from each presenter


Challenges and possible solutions

1st panelist - Zenebe Asfaw:


Challenges:
  • Population density, shortage of water, climate change and soil fertility contributing to low level of productivity and production
  • Land and agro-ecology with the population pressure particularly in Northern Ethiopia.
  • Price inflation. In some places export of high value crops . The intention is to export rather than ensure food security.

Possible solutions:
  • Biotechnology: - We need to bring biotechnology back to the agricultural system which can help us boost production and productivity.
  • Agricultural led industrialization
  • Improved plough technology including mechanization , water harvesting and using equitable share of water
  • Institutions like Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and Institute of Biotechnology need to work closely. We also need academy of science that can support the institute of biotechnology.

2nd panelist - Kidane George:


Challenges:
  • Major gap in coordination between different institutions, NGO’s, NARS at federal, regional level. EIAR was supposed to do this but is not doing it now
  • No research is done on camel which has potential for food security as there are lots of camels in Africa
  • No strong institution in agriculture except Alemaya.
  • Lack of capacities – people who are trained in resource management are few.
  • The issue of grazing and zero grazing
  • There is need for modern techniques like GIS but the staff are very few.
  • Foresters are few which needs to increase.
  • We have few economists that deal with policy research.
  • Climate change which is also a global challenge and not much has been done about it.

Possible solutions:
  • We need to focus on natural resource management by conserving water and soil.
  • Use improved genes which can increase productivity even with traditional fertilizers
  • Forestry research needs to be strengthened. We need to have a strong institution.
  • We need a holistic approach that integrates crop, livestock and agro-forestry.


3rd panelist - Tegene:


Challenges:
  • Lack of integration at all levels in many sectors
  • Each institute focuses on its own routine activities
  • We didn't deal with non-farm activities
  • Policy makers are not well informed. Individuals make policies when taken for implementation nobody accepts them
  • Market is not brought at the table but it needs to be intensified
  • Institution are there but they are not strong. Institutional arrangement is not good. Who is responsible for what is not clear.

Possible solutions:
  • All stakeholders need to discuss before designing and implementation of policies.
  • Interventions are good. Higher institutions are doing good which are demand driven.
  • Integration of different sectors should be in place and it should be discussed at the national level and who is going to coordinate what should also be known.

4th panelist - Adane Kassa


Challenges:
  • Lack of system
  • Government has to allocate resources and the resources should be well managed
  • In sustainable agriculture – is innovation going in an organized or scattered manner
  • Do our polices contribute to the micro or macro economy
  • Do we consult stakeholders along our way
  • Do we design the policies based on feedback.

Possible solutions:
  • System should be competitive. There should be specialization in higher intuitions. The experience and quality should be there. There should be standard within the research.
  • Financing system of the agricultural sector should be seen and is key.
  • There should be applied and adaptive research in different areas


5th panelist - Mulugeta Berhanu


Possible solutions:
  • Land ownership policy have to be defined clearly. (farm land and communal land ownership system)
  • Strategy in terms of focus: we focus on communal area. There are few (limited) practical ones that works within the farmland. There is no tree in the middle of a farm. farmland/forestry should be there
  • We need to give incentives for farmers to plant forests
  • Institutions: Strengthening the coordination is important including the legal system. Unless these institution work together there will be no growth and transformation
  • Interventions: Shift from tree plantation to tree growing.
  • Water and forestry integration is needed. Why not redirect water to develop forests not only with cereals and fruits.
  • Link it with market.
  • Organizing the unemployed for forest – coble stone model for forestry through Addis Ababa Administration.

Comments and questions from the audience


  • Why and how is export affecting food security?
  • Different development partners, NGO’s are working on different programs, how to integrate and how to mainstream and create linkages with the current polices (CRG… etc.)…The harmonization should be created. Everybody is doing their own things and we don’t have even feedback. How do we integrate these?
  • On the climate change –how do we introduce communities to this carbon fund issue
  • Land certification is very important – for natural resource management and it secures we have to see it and it has to be applied as a policy. We have to secure ownership in issuing second level certification.
  • Two issues: biotechnology – the idea may be sensitive in Ethiopian concept. Gene technology – full package is needed. Bio technology increases productivity – but in Ethiopia did we use all available technologies in Ethiopia. We need production and more productivity. We are not using enough input. This issue is very sensitive. Take cases in Latin America. Bio-colonialism in other countries. It is not the right time to recommend gene technology in Ethiopia. Bio safety should come first. Sometimes we have to be very specific to what we are recommending.
  • Zero grazing is an issue – coming from professionals. We have to consider the fact in its context. We are proposing reduction of livestock. We have to have complete information that can help policy makers to make the appropriate decision.
  • On biotechnology if we start it tomorrow where should we focus.
  • Land holding many people are having less than half a hectare. But on newspapers – in Ethiopia we have a lot of land that is not cultivated. Is this information really true.
  • Irrigated agriculture: the got. is pushing towards irrigated agriculture.
  • Biotechnology is almost about everything and we need to be cautious.
  • We are in the second year of the GTP. Dam construction, what would that mean
  • Coble stone – we need to look for best practices and scale them up
  • Technology transfer – we need to invest a lot in technology
  • The question of land policy – has to be a bit uncovered. What is the short coming of this policy.
  • Sustainable agricultural transformation. – we have to mention that our agriculture is rain fed agriculture. We have to shift to small scale irrigation, even through there are some initiatives but it should change
  • We have never tried to improve plough. This has to be well thought. (we have to modify the plough)
  • Land is being degraded we have to come up with solutions for this.
  • Lack of integration – fragmented efforts by different institutions. For how long are we going to discuss this
  • Biotechnology – we can be selective
  • Forestry area –it is time to find a solution now.
  • To support the GTP we have to do some work. Identifying techniques and practices what are they and we need to develop guidelines that can tackle our problems. Take examples from India.

Answers from the panelists:

  • Policies: are instruments (how are we going to translate them). Whatever intervention we do has to do with the GTP and CRG.
  • Biotechnology – we have to look in what sector for what. We have to talk specifically.
  • Farming of highlands: an oxen should not go to farm and they are importing with machines (the case in Adama and in the highlands).
  • Market question: export oriented market. It appears there is indiscriminate emphasis like in the case of Apple for Chencha. When the apple market failed people started to starve. We need to know what to emphasize on. Even with coffee the price of coffee has failed. We have to be very careful on what to export.
  • Biotechnology: - is a very important scientific advancement. particularly gene technology a situation in Japan. Precaution needs to be there, and that is why we have the institute of Biotechnology.
  • Land is becoming very complicated. We have to be serious about this challenge. There should be a policy for that.
  • CRG – climate resilient green economy – even the government is embarking a big program on green economy. A lot of work was done on mitigation part of the climate change. There is a second phase which is more of implementation and developing strategy (effective strategy for climate change and sustainable agriculture). ATA is working harder and they have to align the work.
  • On mechanization – EIAR and others are developing small farming tools. The problem in Ethiopia is we don’t have proper documentation on what’s going on.
  • Land policy – communal area (land belongs to the government) and government is not doing well on that. (is not properly managing it)
  • Power fluctuation is one of the problems in addressing sustainable agriculture.